Former Team India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin feels that if all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja had played slightly more positively on Day 5 of the third Test match against England, the results could have turned in the visitors` favour.
“India played really well, but if Ravindra Jadeja had played slightly positively, then maybe we would have won the match. We worked very hard, but the result was not very good,” Azharuddin told ANI.
Both teams remained inseparable after day three, with both posting 387 on the board. The Lord`s turf came alive for the last four days, and India forced the Three Lions to bundle out on 192. Despite pursuing a paltry target, an inspired spell from England`s quicks left India reeling at 58/4 on the penultimate day.
England skipper Ben Stokes and fierce pacer Jofra Archer registered three wickets each to their names. Brydon Carse, on the other hand, claimed two wickets.
Despite the fall of wickets at regular intervals, Jadeja played an unbeaten knock of 61 runs, which came in 181 deliveries, including four boundaries and a maximum.
He fought hard with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj but eventually surrendered to a 22-run defeat. Spinner Shoaib Bashir delivered the decisive blow after Siraj defended the ball, but the overspin took the ball back into the stumps.
As England took a 2-1 lead against India after the Lord`s clash, the questions started raising about Team India`s lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah`s feature in the fourth Test match.
Earlier, speaking on the pacer`s feature, skipper Shubman Gill said, “You will get to know about it soon”.
The former cricketer is also hopeful of Bumrah`s feature in the Manchester Test, which will be in action after a rest period of seven days.
“I hope we will do well in the next Test match. Our bowlers bowled well on the flat track. A smaller target is always hard to chase. In the next Test matches, maybe they might make some changes. Hopefully, Bumrah will play after a seven-day rest,” he concluded.
Team India will lock horns against the `Three Lions` in the fourth Test match, starting from July 23.
(With ANI Inputs)
